It seems David Chang is upset with Starbucks after Tweets and Facebook posts from the chef called out the the coffee corporation on what he’s basically claiming is kitchen plagiarism.
Chang reckons that Starbucks have nicked his and pastry chef Cristina Tosi’s Bagel Bomb creation from the Milk Bar and basically repackaged them as Bagel Balls - a new dish the coffee chain is now serving in their stores.
Chang, in a vey public rant, also claims Starbucks stole their idea for cereal milk, something Starbucks have also started offering recently in their coffees.
Eater reports that the Bagel Balls served by Starbucks are actually created by an NYC startup called Bantam Bagel and although they opened with Bagel Balls back in 2013, Tosi and Chang have been serving their bombs at Milk Bars since 2011.
It’s certainly not the first time a chef’s creations have been copied up by large brands - think of Heston Blumenthal’s triple cooked chips or the much copied cronut by Dominique Ansel.
It all comes to the question of can and should chefs protect their recipes? A debate that can easily be argue on both sides of the fence and a topic we looked at with an Intellectual Property solicitor.
